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Date:         Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:37:01 -0800
Reply-To:     John Anderson <wvukidsdoc@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Anderson <wvukidsdoc@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fuel tank cleaning.
Comments: To: Tom Torrella <ttorrella4@COMCAST.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <374991CC-28F3-428E-BF72-0E942487A691@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

I've said this scores of times, smart people believe me, those looking to save $50 in exchange for a couple hours of hard labor and a likely inferior result don't.  Call around, find a radiator shop that will do it reasonably, or just get a new tank.  And I've cleaned at least 10, everything from Corvair, to Type1, to several baywindow tanks before I realized this.  I've sealed using POR, Hirsch, Eastwood kits over the years, using steel shot for heavily rusted, the whole bit.  It just isn't worth the effort IF you can find a reasonable $$ place.  In fact the last 2 tanks I've cleaned have been good ASME stamped air compressor tanks not gas tanks that shops wouldn't deal with (weight), the only reason I did them.  In WV a good radiator place, even just 5 years ago would charge $75 to clean, another $25 to coat/seal.  I've been told they are up to about $125 now though, I haven't looked in AK for someone yet.  On type2 we had the discussion last year and local prices were all over the place from $75 still to over $250.  POR wants $75 for their full restore kit, you do the math for what your time is worth.  To me not worth the aggravation.   Now furthermore on a Vanagon tank if you go with sealer, you would need to be very careful with the pickup.  If only slight surface rust you could get by without sealing, but it is likely coming back.  The final bit to worry about sealer is of course that 10 years on, you never know what gas will do to it.  The stuff we were using in the 80's dissolves with modern fuel, nothing to say the same won't hold true again.  For a vanagon, are tanks really that hard to find? I think I still have 2-3 perfect ones sitting in a storage van in WV, plus aren't they only about $150 new?   Anyway people will go on and on about how easy it is to do, blah, blah, blah.  For my time and money if I could get it cleaned by a pro for $75, vs even $30-40 in chemicals to clean even if I weren't sealing it, I'd spend the extra.  In point of fact considering the time to get a Vanagon tank out, money for new grommets, getting that damn cross vent back in and secured in it's clip right, all the little damn expansion lines, etc, I'd pop the $150 for the new tank or only use a perfect condition used one.   I like using the square as prefilter and putting in a high pressure filter after the pump, though in reality I don't know why I do it.  Won't effect pressure as long as flow remains good (as long as it doesn't get clogged.)   YMMV.   John ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Torrella ttorrella4@COMCAST.NET   1. What is the best solution to clean the insides of a gasoline tank? So far no major chunks of rust, or leaks. 2. After cleaning, how effective would a rubberized liner applied inside work? The process purposed is an acid bath, rinse bath to neutralize, then treated with a blue liner for about the cost of a new tank.


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